Greening the Blue Report 2023

United Nations 2 years ago

The annual Greening the Blue Report – The UN system’s environmental footprint and efforts to reduce it shows the progress both at the UN system-wide level and entity level of implementing the Strategy for Sustainability Management in the United Nations System 2020-2030, Phase I: Environmental Sustainability in the Area of Management (Sustainability Strategy I). The 2023 edition of the Greening the Blue Report, which provides 2022 data, was published on 21 December 2023. Commenting on the results from the report, António Guterres, UN Secretary-General noted, “The world must work together to address the triple planetary crisis of runaway climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.  We at the United Nations must do our part with advocacy and action.  I encourage all UN entities to set an example by greening the blue.” Sustainability Strategy I covers both environmental impact areas and management functions. Highlights of the Greening the Blue Report 2023’s UN system-wide 2022 data results include: Environmental Impact Areas Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) - the UN’s operations and facilities emitted 1.4 million tonnes of CO2eq in total or 4.6 tonnes CO2eq per capita. The UN system’s GHG emissions by source were 38% from air travel, 47% from facilities and 15% from other forms of travel Waste - the average waste generated for the whole UN system was 321 kg/person Water - the average water consumption by the UN system was 49 m3 per UN personnel per year Management Functions Environmental Governance – 7 UN entities have met or exceeded the criteria for implementing an Environmental Management System, with an additional 15 entities approaching the criteria Procurement* – 24 out of 29 organizations implemented formal sustainable procurement policies in their procurement processes Human Resources – 31 entities have environmental training available for their staff Greening the Blue Report 2023 highlights the environmental impacts of over 308,000 personnel in 57 entities across Headquarters, field offices and operations on the ground. The report also includes a case study from a UN entity on each of the environmental impact areas and management functions. To read the whole report and the detailed entity level data, please visit greeningtheblue.org. *Procurement data is taken from the 2022 Annual Statistical Report on United Nations Procurement. More information      Methodologies and data collection used, please visit greeningtheblue.org/methodology. Methodology related to travel emissions provided by the International Civil Aviation Organisation please visit the ICAO website. For climate neutrality, please visit the UNFCCC website. For more information, please contact: UN Environment Programme   E-mail: unepnewsdesk@unep.org
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layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 14 minutes ago



Europe and the UK have entered a defining phase for sustainable construction policy. The UK government’s new net zero strategy accelerates decarbonising the built environment, introducing 2035 targets centred on whole life carbon reduction and embodied carbon transparency. Industry specialists caution that limited implementation detail could undermine the delivery of net zero carbon buildings and delay progress toward a comprehensive whole life carbon assessment framework. Treasury considerations to scale back funding for energy-efficient buildings have triggered industry concern over the environmental impact of construction and potential increases in the carbon footprint of construction activity.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has called on the Chancellor to realign fiscal and regulatory frameworks to advance sustainable building practices and resource efficiency in construction. The institution’s appeal underlines the need for clearer guidance on life cycle cost analysis, sustainable building design and lifecycle assessment methodologies that support sustainable material specification. Its position reflects mounting pressure for policy coherence that joins sustainable urban development, green infrastructure and carbon neutral construction within one coherent market structure.

Defra’s £1bn plan for a second national forest in the Oxford–Cambridge corridor reinforces the shift toward circular economy principles, addressing both carbon sequestration and liveability. The initiative resonates with circular construction strategies and end-of-life reuse in construction, framing the natural environment as integral to eco-friendly construction and renewable building materials policy.

At the EU level, a 2040 emissions-cut target of 90% builds a continent-wide platform for low carbon design and sustainable architecture standards. The move, although faced with criticism over carbon credit offsets, signals growing consistency in whole life carbon metrics across borders. It also strengthens demand for low embodied carbon materials and green building products aligned with BREEAM and BREEAM v7 benchmarks.

The combined impact of these measures defines a critical moment in sustainable construction and environmental sustainability in construction. Policy fragmentation still restrains the full application of life cycle thinking in construction and the integration of eco-design for buildings. The year ahead will determine whether the UK and EU convert strategic ambition into measurable reductions in embodied carbon in materials, credible lifecycle performance outcomes and a verifiable path to net zero whole life carbon across the built environment.

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